Pranayama is not just a complex of breathing exercises. It is a complex process, during which a person receives vital energy – prana from the air. Literally pranayama is translated as “stopping breathing”. Hence the main goal of the whole breathing gymnastics is to be able to hold your breath for a long time. Yogis see the goal of pranayama in achieving lifelessness and, accordingly, immortality.

For yoga, proper breathing is the minimum loss of carbon dioxide, which is considered prana, the source of life. The breathing of an ordinary person is the loss of carbon dioxide from the body, which leads to disruption of life and a number of diseases, some of which are known as diseases of civilization. Most of humanity just does not know how to breathe properly. People make frequent breaths and exhalations, breathe superficially, do not use breathing stops.

The statement that is used by yogis is very noteworthy. They believe that each person has a certain number of breaths in reserve. Therefore, they must be protected and try to breathe more slowly. With this you can not argue, because in reality every organ and cell in the human body has its own program and limit of service. And how correctly a person will perform this program will depend on his longevity and health.

In order to perform breathing gymnastics pranayami, you need to know a few rules. The most important condition for proper breathing is to control its rhythmics. The second rule – when exhaling and inhaling, you need to use your nose, not your mouth. Breathing exercises should be in silence, in a room with good ventilation and on an empty stomach. Use light clothing, refuse shoes. Relax all muscles, including facial muscles.

For people who are only getting acquainted with respiratory yoga, it is better to start with simple exercises for beginners. First and foremost, you should learn to control and feel all the lungs and the thorax.

It is necessary to take a comfortable pose and slowly inhale with the belly, counting to 4, then slowly exhale slowly to the same count. Repeat several times. At first, the stomach will be inflated, but it will help to feel how the lungs fill up. These are exercises for the lower part of the lungs. For the average – you need to count to 3, breathe in only the chest, at the expense of three also exhale. And for the upper body to inhale and exhale, raising and lowering the clavicle when inhaled and exhaled.

After mastering the basic technique of breathing exercises, you need to move on to more complex exercises. For example, walking in the fresh air, you can do the following exercise: to inhale 4 steps, then make a sharp exhalation, counting to 6. It is necessary to breathe in full chest. Over time, this technique will become a habit, and people will not even notice that they are breathing properly.